An airport with no downtime is an airport everyone LOVES to go to!
Travellers, airport employees and management, vendors, operators, mechanics, even ground support equipment suppliers appreciate the well-oiled machine that is an airport in continuous operation.
You know that is no small task.
A large number of factors impact airport downtime, but Airport Ground Support Equipment (GSE) is one of the most influential. You know that to run an efficient airport GSE operation and avoid downtime due to inoperable, damaged, unaccounted for, or unavailable equipment, at a minimum you must:
- Keep your equipment fleet up to date
- Make sure your fleet operators are working safely, in a safe environment
- Ensure the periodic maintenance of your equipment is done reliably and in a timely manner
- Manage and accurately balance the use of your resources (personnel and equipment)
But a new, overarching area of importance has emerged for GSE – adding and updating technology.
GSE Technology.
Technology, and perhaps even more specifically, GSE telematics can positively impact any airport’s ground support equipment operation in a variety of ways.
For this post we took a look at how GSE technology, can limit an airport’s downtime and improve operational efficiency. We came up with the following list of 4 GSE Technology Must-Haves for any Airport, but you can download our comprehensive Avro GSE technology checklist below.
1. FLEET UTILIZATION MANAGEMENT
Wireless Monitoring devices now allow you to go beyond just GPS tracking for airport trucks and cargo loaders. When mounted to your equipment these devices utilize cellular and wi-fi connections to collect hour meter data and provide impact sensing. This data limits airport downtime by helping to:
- Identify the right mix and size of your fleet available at any time
- Improve your ability to level overall usage across your fleet
- Identify impact events and reduce time for corrections and unnecessary damage
Wireless monitoring allows you to take early action to reduce damage and repairs to equipment. Ultimately, you can make better informed decisions as to the timing for equipment replacement.
2. OPERATOR ACCESS CONTROL
Misuse of equipment by unauthorized or untrained personnel can negatively impact your GSE operation. Wireless Access creates visibility into how operators are using equipment. With the use of ID cards and specific operator access control unexpected airport downtime can be averted with:
- Reductions of operation of equipment by unauthorized personnel
- Reductions to equipment damage
- Insight into how equipment is being used
3. PERIODIC MAINTENANCE SCHEDULING
Wouldn’t it be nice to be automatically reminded about unit maintenance on a specific date or when a hour meter level is reached? Wireless Monitoring devices can do both, or either. Whichever comes first. You just get an email! This is a huge help for:
- Forecasting GSE budgets
- Reducing excess maintenance costs due to delayed maintenance
Obviously, this PM tracking capability will greatly reduce airport downtime for out of service equipment.
4. REAL-TIME REPORTING
Wireless GSE monitoring, access, and verification devices tie directly into web-based reporting systems. Which means you now have easy access to the data those devices collect. You and your GSE team can quickly review, analyze, and make timely decisions from any computer or mobile device. Imagine having access to a cloud-based dashboard for:
- Unit Utilization (Hour Meter)
- PM Tracking
- Impact Monitoring
- Workforce KPI (# of Operators)
- Checklists
- Compliance Ranking
These types of ‘facts and data set you free’! Essentially, creating increased flexibility and efficiency across your whole GSE operation that can directly result in reduced airport downtimes.
All airports share the common goal of continuous operation. Equipping your GSE operation with the right ‘equipment’ is key to achieving this goal. By adding these 4 GSE Technology Must-Haves to your GSE operation you will be closer to that goal.
But don’t stop there. Download our full Avro GSE technology checklist to learn how new features can greatly benefit your GSE operation and your airport!
